Death of the Indie Kid's Dream...

I was inspired to write on this when I passed by the local Blockbuster...So, as I'm sure most of you know, Blockbuster hasn't been doing so well lately. Netflix has eaten them alive. The business model for Netflix took off like a rocket and Blockbuster just reacted too late. In fact, the last time I remember going to a Blockbuster was before we got OnDemand. And when we lost OnDemand, it made more sense to go with Netflix anyway. But to get back on point, the local Blockbusters in Westminster is shuttered with a sign out in front, saying some spiel about how you can still go online to Blockbuster's website to order movies and get them in the mail and stresses in big letters "WE ARE NOT CLOSING"

So the first thing that hit me was the irony of the statement. "We are not closing"...but this store is closed. The next thing that hit me was wondering who had to put that sign up. Was it a chump from Corporate (side note, I'M corporate, so I guess I would also be a chump from corporate) who was sent out to shut it down? Or was it the store manager, in his last act before locking the store down? (My last act would be raiding the good movies, games, and snacks). Thinking about if it was the manager, I started wondering why anyone would want to work at a Blockbuster store that's CURRENTLY open. You can see the writing on the wall...In a couple years, the only way that chain is going to stay alive is to go with online business or the gas station rental kiosks.

And that's what this whole post is about. No one can deny these kiosks work well, it's just the way the world is now. It's a lot easier to shop online during a lunch break, or while you're eating breakfast in the morning, or make a quick run to get snacks from the convenience store and pick out a movie for a weekend date night in. But it got me thinking about R&TT...that's Record and Tape Traders. When I was but a young lad in Catonsville, that used to be something to do on a day home. "Hey, going to go up to the Record and Tape Traders...what for? Nothing really, just want to browse, maybe listen to some CDs, soak up the aura" It wasn't just them, you could definitley find a local music store where you'd just go in to soak up the ambience, if you will. It's not like I spent hours and hours there, but I enjoyed going there to get music as opposed to an FYE or Circuit City (Avoiding the Walmart and Target references for something later) because the people there weren't just working a job, they were people that worked there because they loved music. You always felt like an FYE or Circuit City was more...generic?

So, now applying this Blockbuster thought to music stores...I can't name ANY music stores in Westminster. There's an instrument store on Main Street, but I've never seen any "local record shop" type stores. What we have really? Walmart, Target, FYE. And that's just how it is today. If you did a random poll, I bet you the #1 source of music sales would be "iTunes\Amazon\Website", #2 would be Target/Walmart/Best Buy/FYE "generic stores" types. This is, in my opinion, due to that same shift in technology. It's so much "Easier" and "convenient" to buy music online, slap it right on your iPod/iPhone/MP3 player, and go. And if you want to stick to those "crazy" antiques known as "Compact Discs", you just burn a disc on your computer, off and gone. And if you REALLY need that CD in your hands, you most likely will buy it online and ship it (If it's a hard find) or go to Target/Walmart to grab it (if it's popular and you need it now).

Growing up as a teenager, as a "indie kid", I always harbored a secret dream to work at R&TT. Because, in your head, you'd get paid for listening to and selling music all day. Could there be a cooler job? And then you'd start looking at the movies that made it look so cool...Empire Records (crazy things that happened to them aside), High Fidelity...Now, I never did end up there. I worked at Charlestown to get a scholarship, then worked at my college, which worked out good for my career now. And I knew people who did work at R&TT, and while I wouldn't say it was bad, it was probably NOT like Empire Records and High Fidelity, where you're cracking Top 5 lists all day or burning holes in a CD you didn't like to play. But, it was still kind've an iconic place to think of. I feel a little sad that "indie kids" who come up today have no real place to put that label on. I mean, dreaming or working at an FYE seems like dreaming to work at a grocery store, or a gas station...there's nothing SPECIAL about it. And I don't mean that as an insult to anyone who works at an FYE or grocery store or gas station. Job is a job and money is money. But it's not something you're generally going to brag about to your friends. I guess in today's music scene, kids are probably dreaming of working in a band, or with a band, or maybe as a sound engineer.

But for a minute, I'm going to hold a minute of silence, and pour a 40 (of milk, which I am pouring for Noah) on the sidewalk for what I'm going to call "The Death of the Local Record Shop". I don't really think they will go away entirely, what you'll probably see if vinyl shops and local CD stores get combined. So there will always be somewhere to go for that aura/ambience. But there won't necessarily be one in every town, so for the young indie kids out there, time to pick a new local haunt to dream about working at, if only for a little while.

News Item: Officials want to close popular Woodlawn roller rink

Story seen on Baltimore Sun...

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-co-skateworks-survival-uncertain-20100416,0,4996403.story

Ok, so here's the gist. A Baltimore native wanted to open up a roller rink for kids to come hang out at instead of, you know, dealing drugs, killing each other, and generally everything else a Baltimore kid would end up doing, considering the city's track record. And it was a HUGE hit. LOTS of kids come and hang out on Friday nights. But, when the place closes at midnight, and everyone goes out, there's been reports of fights occurring nearby, kids trying to cross a 6 lane highway to get to a bus stop, and general crowd issues. So, Baltimore County has decided that the owners of the club need to decide by Wednesday on a plan to stop these issues, or else they will be shut down.

Granted, the incidents are an issue. But really???? Close down the club, that'll fix it all? I'll tell you EXACTLY what closing down that club will do...Kids won't have a spot to hang out on Friday nights, so here are their options...1) Sit at home until you get so bored you do one of the other options, 2) Stroll around the other prime hangouts in Baltimore, where by the way, our crime rate is still awesome, 3) Get involved with one of Baltimore's choice activites, such as gangs, murder, drugs, or assaults. Seriously, does Baltimore County really think kids won't fight each other if they don't have this spot to hang out? Instead, they'll fight each other spread out in different neighborhoods. But maybe the cops want that, since little 2-3 person fights aren't likely to be called in as a crime statistic, but a BIG fight...yeah, that's another mark against Baltimore.

I think the county needs to work WITH the club owners to figure out a good solution. How hard would it be to schedule an MTA bus stop on Friday nights on the other side of the highway, so you don't have the crossing issue. How hard would it be to provide some police to have on hand in case some bad apples want to spoil it for the good kids. One of the kids who goes there is quoted as saying "If this place closed down, I'd have no social life". That says it all to me...This isn't a raunchy club where kids come to drink, smoke, do bad stuff. This is the kind've place the county should be CELEBRATING, not trying to find a reason to close it down.